Various nozzles have been proposed for use in fuel dispensing systems to transfer fuel from a storage tank to a vehicle fuel tank. Environmental and/or safety concerns have dictated that nozzles of a fuel dispensing system be designed to prevent fuel from dripping from the spout of the nozzle after the nozzle is removed from the vehicle fuel tank and returned to the dispenser.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,377,729; 5,645,116; 5,603,364; 5,620,032; and, 6,520,222 disclose various nozzle structures designed to prevent fuel from dripping from the spout once it is removed from a fuel tank. These designs have numerous inherent disadvantages. For example, a number of these prior designs require complex valves to prevent fuel from dripping from the end of the spout of the nozzle. These valves increase the cost and time to manufacture the nozzle. Further, these prior designs all include a relatively large obstruction centrally located in the channel or passageway through which fuel travels through the nozzle and hence unnecessarily restrict the flow of fuel through the nozzle when a vehicle is being refueled.